


The Case of The Shameless Employee

by cottoncandyboys (mik0rin)



Series: A mess™ [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 04:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12028332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mik0rin/pseuds/cottoncandyboys
Summary: Nakamoto Yuta, also known as the bane of Kim Dongyoung's life and possible candidate to worst employee of the month, if that even existed.





	The Case of The Shameless Employee

**Author's Note:**

> i'm thriving today lol jk i had this sitting opened on my browser for an eternity and finally managed to get through with it, although i do plan on writing more for this pairing just because, i just can't promise i'll update it quickly because this month i have a bunch of uni things to do rip

"Do you think he has a life?" Dongyoung hears Yuta's voice coming from behind a tall rack of dresses and coats as he walks past it. He stops on his tracks and holds his breathing not to catch attention.

"Uh? Who? Why are we gossiping in the middle of work?" it's Youngho's voice and Dongyoung has to nod along with it, agreeing with the statement. If they don't stop soon, he might interrupt and send them off to do what they're supposed to.

"You know _who_ I'm talking about, Youngho. Don't make me say the name out loud, he might be around," Yuta whispers but still loud enough for Dongyoung to listen to him clearly.

"You shouldn't talk about Dongyoung like that," Youngho reprimands him and now Dongyoung is starting to get mad that they are gossiping about _him_. He takes a deep breath, careful not to make any noise so he doesn't reveal himself.

"Why? It's not like he's the manager. I actually haven't seen him do anything aside from checking the cash register sometimes and walk around the store," Yuta sounds done by the tone of his voice, Dongyoung hears Youngho sighing and sees him walking away, he stands closer to the clothes to hide himself better. "Is he paid just to do that?"

Yuta runs after Youngho and Dongyoung lets out the air he's been holding, shaking his head in disapproval while watching Yuta's back.

There's a customer looking a little lost and confused a few meters from him and Dongyoung just huffs before rolling the cuffs of his shirt and walking to the lady with a very professional smile on his lips.

 

 

"I don't understand," Mark says, head tilted as he sips his juice from a straw. Dongyoung, on the other hand, angrily takes a bite from the sandwich he brought as he thinks of a way to answer the boy. "You're always complaining about Yuta. You could just, you know, ask your father to fire him or something. I am sure you can actually do that yourself."

He scoffs when Mark says that, throwing the used napkin on the trash can and brushing away the crumbs from the table and also disposing of them.

"I am not going to abuse my power just because I don't like someone," Dongyoung replies, raising an eyebrow at how Mark easily says what's in his head. "Besides, he doesn't know I am like the manager or whatever you guys call it. He'd think I'm joking."

"Which reminds me, why don't you just tell him that you're technically the manager?" he sounds curious and Dongyoung just wants to tell Mark to mind his own business but, at the same, he does have this soft spot for the boy and he doesn't have the heart to just brush him off like that. He curses under his breath and turns back to Mark, pursuing his lips and thinking of a proper answer to that.

"Don't you think it's fun how he treats me like I'm just some random employee?" he finally says and it's Mark's turn to raise an eyebrow, looking like he's not quite understanding it. "I don't want him to treat me like I'm someone else just because of my position."

"Ah, I see," Mark nods and laughs a little, Dongyoung wrinkles his nose and gives the boy a questioning gaze. "You want to be his friend too."

Dongyoung thinks of answering Mark rudely - he really does - but the comment is just too much and he doesn't want to just yell at him for trying to guess his reason based on what he was told. Instead, Dongyoung stands up and decides that his break is over even if it's been just twenty minutes, he turns his back to Mark and exits the staff room.

"Did I say something wrong?" Mark mumbles to himself and finishes his juice.

 

 

For the most part, Dongyoung tries his best to be a good manager. His father has taught him not to act superior but treat everyone as equals because that's what they deserve but...sometimes when Dongyoung sees Yuta slacking off when he's supposed to be doing something, he feels his blood boiling.

The first time he lets it pass, there was no harm to anyone after all and since Mark stepped in to help, Dongyoung assumed that Yuta was just nervous and didn't know what to do when the customer was coming his way before he decided to flee to the inventory.

The second time it was not related to the customer service but rather the organization of the entire women's section. Even Mark was confused when he walked at the usual place and saw that the men's clothes were also among the women's. By the time Dongyoung found Yuta, he was putting a random jacket in the pajamas rack and he had to rush and yank it all off from his hands before waving him away to do something else. With Youngho's help he managed to organize it all back but an entire day had gone to waste.

And now, it's the third time - possibly more even because Dongyoung is not around in the morning since he has to attend classes - and Dongyoung doesn't know what to do anymore because this is something he has talked about with Yuta before but the information just seems not to get into his head. In all honesty, the only thing he wishes to do is tug at his hair until he goes bald.

"Yuta," Dongyoung says calmly when he gets close to the boy. "What do you think you are doing right now?" he points to the cell phone in his hands and Yuta is startled that he's there. In a rush, he puts the device on his pockets but there's nothing he can do to pretend that he wasn't playing a game on his phone instead of working properly. "There are customers around and I am _tired_ of telling you to only use your phone when you're either on your break or when there's absolutely nobody around."

"Look, Dongyoung," Yuta takes a step closer to him and Dongyoung eyes him warily, wondering why he's trying to near him, so in response, he takes a step away from Yuta. "Are you going to tell me that you don't get bored working here at some point? You know, I kinda like the job but there are moments that I have absolutely nothing to do and you're going to pick on me when I'm not causing any harm?"

"You might not be causing any harm but I don't see you doing anything good either. You're just standing here like a statue while you could be doing something useful like Mark who improved the socks organization or Youngho who separated the dresses by length and color," Dongyoung says all of that with the most serious expression on his face and Yuta presses his lips together, giving him a reprimanding look and a shake of his head. Dongyoung does not get why he's looking at him like that when he hasn't said anything weird or wrong. "I guess I'll have to change my classes schedule to be here in the morning because I fear what you might do seeing that you're one of the two people who open the story and Jeno is just a part-timer."

"You talk as though you're the manager and I have told you this before," Yuta trails off and stares at Dongyoung's name tag but there's just his name there and nothing else.

"Yuta, formally speaking, I am not the manager," Dongyoung says in all seriousness and looks at Yuta in the eyes. "But my father _is_ the owner of this store and I _am_ in charge of it and you _are_ going to do what I say."

"I-" Yuta turns white as a paper and freezes, his mouth half opened and Dongyoung can already guess that he was about to argue with him but now has nothing to say about it. "I'm going to sort the new stuff I saw that arrived yesterday, call me if you need anything."

And _this_ is why Dongyoung doesn't like to use power to get anyone to do what he says. He really can't understand why Yuta likes getting under his skin like this when all the other employees listen to him properly and are people that he even considers as friends. With a shake of his head and a sigh, Dongyoung leaves that section of the store and decides to walk around and check if things are going well with everyone else.

 

 

"Why didn't you bother telling me Dongyoung is almost the owner of the store?" Yuta hisses when Youngho enters the inventory to look for something and he's miserably slumped against a box, suffering in silence and praying that he won't lose his job.

"You never asked," Youngho says in the calmest tone ever and Yuta wants to bang his head on the wall and see if it changes reality. "Besides, you need to stop acting like you're still a high school brat when that's clearly Mark and he acts more mature than you."

"You're such a jokester, Seo," Yuta pushes himself off the floor and starts looking through the boxes and putting the products on their rightful places. "If I knew that important piece of information, I wouldn't have acted like that in front of him."

"I don't know what's funnier. This or the fact that you were blatantly trying to get his attention in the worst possible way. That's not how you're supposed to flirt, Yuta," Yuta seems offended by Youngho's words but there's no time for him to say anything back because he gets what he needs and leaves the inventory, abandoning Yuta there.

"Me? Trying to flirt, huh," Yuta snorts and kicks the nearest box, it topples to the side and, thankfully, just a pile of shirts fall from it. Carefully, he picks each one up and organizes them, thinking over what Youngho has just said.

 

 

"So you're telling me that Yuta knows the truth now?" Mark asks the obvious after hearing Dongyoung's ranting. "I don't see the problem here, at least he's going to treat you with more respect and do as you say."

"That's the problem!" Dongyoung throws his hands up in frustration and Mark looks extremely confused.

"So you want to be disrespected by him? Hyung, I really don't get what you're trying to say," Mark wrinkles his nose and busies himself with a piece of his grilled cheese, pouting a little at how the cheese is cold and hard.

" _Obviously_ , I do not wish to be disrespected but I also don't want to be respected because I am threatening. I don't want to be an absolute ruler," Dongyoung tries to explain and is sure that Mark has got his point when he nods with an impassive look on his face.

"With all respect, you'll have to change the way you speak then. It might not be noticeable at for you but you talk with authority to most of us. It's alright because we are too used to it to care but Yuta's not," Mark finishes his snack and kneads the napkin he has in hands, getting up and giving Dongyoung a last glance. "Yuta's a nice guy, you just need to know how to deal with him."

"And do you know how to?" Dongyoung asks, curious at the way Mark speaks with conviction but all he receives is a shrug. It's just frustrating how Dongyoung's worried about this.

 

 

"I didn't flirt with him;" Yuta announces randomly when Youngho passes by him the next day. "Why would I flirt with such a stuck up? He's not even handsome."

"Yeah, sure," Youngho snorts and twirls a pen before dropping it to the side, staring at Yuta with a raised brow. "And you're not gay."

"Not funny," Yuta laughs hysterically, probably trying to make Youngho look bad but he is the only one making a fool of himself right now. "I am going to organize some things at another part of the store because I don't want to look at your face anymore."

"Very mature, Yuta. That's very mature of you," Youngho calls after him but Yuta rushes to the first floor and pretends he doesn't listen to any of that.

Honestly speaking, the first floor is the emptier space in the whole store customer-wise and none of them are usually there unless they have new arrivals to organize - which is not the case since Mark did that just yesterday evening according to Youngho's reports -, so it's an obvious surprise when he sees the last person he wishes to run into pacing back and forth in the middle of the accessories.

If Yuta thought things couldn't get worse, right when he's about to turn around and go back to the ground floor because he's noticed nobody else is there - and he does not want to be alone with the devil -, Dongyoung acknowledges his existence there and starts walking his way. Yuta truly just wants to be swallowed whole by a hole that could just appear out of nowhere but life's not so fair with him.

"Yuta," Dongyoung says when he's standing in front of him. There's a frown on his face and his thin lips are pressed tight, if Yuta's prediction is right, Dongyoung is going to either reprimand him for something he did or just fire him. "You're fr-"

"Look, hyung. I want to keep the job and I do-" Yuta stops talking when he sees the way Dongyoung's looking at him, mouth covered with a hand and shoulders shaking slightly. "Did I say anything wrong?"

" _Hyung?_ " Dongyoung says loudly and Yuta looks around awkwardly, not meeting Dongyoung's eyes because he knows his cheeks are going to turn red in embarrassment. "Yuta, I'm younger than you by a year."

In all seriousness, the Yuta from four years ago wouldn't mind that mistake but, the Yuta from now has lived in Korea for way too long, therefore hierarchy has become part of his daily life and he really does turn red in embarrassment for using the wrong honorific and Dongyoung is not helping with the smug smile on his lips.

"I gotta go," Yuta turns his back at him and runs away as fast as he can.

 

 

"That was the most embarrassing moment of my entire life," Yuta groans, sat down on the stool by the counter and drinking his second mug of steaming hot chocolate made by Taeyong. "He's so serious and no fun that I thought he was at least two years older than us? He always has a resting bitch face and the way he speaks reminds me of my father."

"Yeah but Yuta, you don't have a crush on your father," Taeyong says and Yuta stops a moment to process what his friend has said, choking on his drink when the words finally sink in.

"That's highly disturbing, Taeyong," Yuta grimaces and flares his nose, gulping down more of the hot chocolate until he's done with it, burning his tongue while doing so. "Never say something like that again."

"Anyway," Taeyong takes the empty cup and already washes it, giving Yuta an amused glance. "It must be serious because you never come over to talk things with me."

"As if Youngho is going to be of any help. Mark is too close to Dongyoung, so I have no guts to go and rant to him, he might spill the beans about it. Jeno could be of help but I don't want to trouble the kid with my problems," Yuta says and Taeyong exchanges a look with Sicheng who's there listening to Yuta as well.

"You should just go and talk to Dongyoung," Sicheng butts in and even Taeyong is surprised. "You said he seemed like he wanted to talk to you but you just fled."

"I don't want to talk to him though," Yuta muses and uses the counter to rest his arms. All Sicheng and Taeyong do is shake their heads at him before resuming their work. After a minute of being ignored, Yuta pays for what he consumed - not forgetting to complain about the price of everything - and leaves the coffee shop with heavy steps, mourning the fact that his break is a few minutes from being over and that he will have to face Dongyoung after the whole fiasco that took place an hour ago.

Honestly, Yuta knows he can be a handful sometimes but he didn't commit such a sin to be punished like this because, the moment he sets foot inside the store, his eyes meet Dongyoung's. He really wants to run away but Dongyoung has seen him and it wouldn't be something a respectful individual does - even if the majority of the people think Yuta is not one.

"Yuta," Dongyoung says calmly once he has reached the older man, standing straight in front of him with an expressionless face on. "We need to talk."

"Yes, sir," Yuta says robotically and he sees something crossing Dongyoung's eyes, uneasiness perhaps but Yuta can't narrow it down. He follows Dongyoung in silence, being led to the staff room where they leave their belongings and use when they just want to rest during their break.

"First of all, do not call me sir, I am younger than you," Dongyoung shows some reaction on his features and Yuta has to hold himself back from laughing loudly at the disgust he sees there. "Second, did you _really_ think I was going to fire you?"

"Well, you're pretty scary," Yuta mumbles, not meeting his eyes and the only thing he misses is Dongyoung rolling his eyes at him. "Aside from that, I do not know."

"Maybe it's because you know you were in the wrong. You need to fix your conduct," Dongyoung says and the words Mark told him come back to mind - _you talk with authority to most of us_ \- he curses mentally and the words falter him, the still expression turns into a lost one and Yuta notices it. "I-I-"

"You could've told me that piece of information, it'd've saved me the embarrassment," Yuta sighs and takes a seat, supporting his elbows on the table and tentatively looking up at Dongyoung, feeling a little uneasy due to the silence.

"I didn't say it because, I'm tired of telling this to Mark, I don't like being treated differently because of the position I hold," Dongyoung sighs and takes the spot right in front of Yuta. "As a peace offering, I'll treat you to some coffee somewhere close by."

"Oh?" Yuta definitely did not expect that coming, his ears perk up at the offer of having things paid for himself and he stares at Dongyoung with interest. "Really? Like a date?" he blurts out without thinking and covers his mouth, just noticing the slip of his tongue. The way Dongyoung stares at him blankly tells him that he didn't like the assumption or he's just really taken aback and doesn't know what to say - it looks like an odd mixture of the two. "I was joking."

There's an awkward moment of complete silence where Dongyoung looks down at his own hands and doesn't dare lifts his eyes while Yuta's feeling out of place and inconvenient.

"I don't think it is a date, Yuta," Dongyoung says and finally looks at him, Yuta groans internally at how he totally dismissed the part where he said it was a joke - which honestly speaking, it's a lie, Yuta really meant that. "But rather a friendly outing, let's not skip the steps and go straight to this kind of thing. We're barely friends."

"Right," Yuta sweats when he says that, rubbing his hands on the knees of his jeans and wondering how Dongyoung can look and sound so composed when saying that. "Wait- Would you actually go on a date with me?"

"As I said, we are barely friends. _If_ we get there, I might take it into consideration," Dongyoung says and nods to himself, not showing any kind of discomfort when he speaks while Yuta looks like he's trying his best not to throw himself on the floor and scream. "Don't get ahead of yourself and don't be conceited, just because you have a nice face doesn't mean I am going to feel something for you and agree on going on a date."

"I'm fine with that," Yuta stands up and looks at Dongyoung, feeling uneasy again but for a different reason, Dongyoung is back at looking serious and composed, different from a few minutes ago. "Thank you for your time but my break is over and I must go back to work," Yuta rushes out of the staff room and goes around looking for Youngho so he can talk to his friend.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading \o/


End file.
